The Secret to Professional Photos

You can usually get good photos from an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera just by using the "auto" setting. But, if your pictures still aren't coming out the way you'd like (similar to those in National Geographic) changing lenses and basic settings can go a long way. One of the most common effects that makes a photo look professional is background blur, referred to as bokeh. Unfortunately, the lens that comes standard with most basic SLRs (18-55mm) isn't able to produce this effect very well because it has a high minimum f-number meaning the lens opening or aperture is small.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

On any camera, the aperture appears as a number (i.e. f/4.0) and is controllable within a certain range, depending on the lens. The lower the f-number, the wider the aperture, and the narrower the depth of field, which will create blur everywhere except for the primary focus point of the picture. A "macro" lens with a low "f" number, will help you get this effect, especially with close-ups.

To show you, I took the two sets of photos below with the same SLR camera, one using the standard 18-55mm lens and an f/5.0 aperture, and the other using a 55mm macro lens with an f/1.8 aperture. These photos illustrate how you can really make an image "pop" with a large aperture macro lens. Expect to pay at least $100 for a macro lens, and look for one with a low f-number (1.8 or 1.4). If you don't have money to spare, try setting your 18-55mm lens to the largest available aperture (probably 4.0 or so), zoom as high as the lens will allow, and get as close to the subject as possible while still maintaining focus. This can often produce a similar effect.